Saturday, 29 June 2013
Friday, 28 June 2013
YouTube video shows graphic scenes of Franciscan monk's beheading
YouTube video shows graphic scenes of Franciscan monk's beheading
Father Mourad - May your memory be eternal. Glory to Jesus Christ.
Father Mourad - May your memory be eternal. Glory to Jesus Christ.
Thursday, 27 June 2013
The Icon: A Seven Part Documentary
Our friend, Ian Knowles, founder and director of the Bethlehem Icon School, writes:
The Icon: A Seven Part Documentary - YouTube
The Icon: A Seven Part Documentary - YouTube
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Monday, 24 June 2013
Sunday, 23 June 2013
CHRISTIAN EAST-WEST DAY X: Turvey Abbey
“Bridge-building between Churches of East and West”
Turvey Abbey, BEDFORD
Saturday 20 July, 2013
10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
SPEAKERS
- Dame Mary Tanner: a President of the World Council of Churches, formerly Moderator of Faith and Order - “Staying together on the ecumenical journey: a story of bridge-building between East and West” [the work of listening and understanding of the Commission that helped the Orthodox to remain within the WCC]
- Rev Canon Dr Robert Gibbons, Eastern Catholic Melkite, Lecturer at The Kellogg Foundation, Oxford - “Eastern Catholic Churches as bridge-builders between East and West”
- Sr Esther of Turvey Abbey: Iconographer and Teacher; President and Founder-member of The British Association of Iconographers - "Icons—a means of building bridges between Eastern and Western Churches"
Charge: £20 . Please make Cheques/POs, payable to Turvey Abbey and send (name, address, email and telephone number) to Sr Lucy Brydon, (Christian East-West Day), Turvey Abbey, Turvey, BEDFORD MK43 8DE.
Numbers are limited: prior booking essential. Deadline for booking is July 6, 2013
Please bring a packed lunch. Coffee, tea, milk and biscuits are provided
Practice on the Spiritual Way of the Divine Liturgy: New Book from Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch
English translation of the clergy retreat given by His Beatitude in Kevelaer, Germany in 1998. 140 pages with icons
Published by Eastern Christian Publications, Fairfax, Virginia USA
www.ecpubs.com
ISBN: 978-1-940219-03-5. Price: $15.00 USD
https://secure.webvalence.com/ecommerce/kiosk.lasso?merchant=ecpubs&kiosk=books&class=ecp
The ecology of faith
The ecology of faith
A third RISU article on culture, faith, church, proclamation and mission - important alike for Eastern and Roman Catholics - and Orthodox too. Thanks to Fr James Siemens (Symposium - Priest of the Church) for alerting us to this.
See his Symposium blog for his own articles addressing related themes.
A third RISU article on culture, faith, church, proclamation and mission - important alike for Eastern and Roman Catholics - and Orthodox too. Thanks to Fr James Siemens (Symposium - Priest of the Church) for alerting us to this.
See his Symposium blog for his own articles addressing related themes.
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Patriarch’s opening address at the Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Ain Traz - Lebanon June 17, 2013
Protocol 301/2013A 16/06/2013
Speech of
Patriarch Gregorios III at the opening of the Synod of the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church Ain Traz - Lebanon June 17, 2013
God’s word is … a light unto
my path (Psalm 118: 105 LXX)
At the beginning of this Holy
Synod we thank Almighty God, in the words of St. Paul in his Letter to the
Ephesians: “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are
on earth; even in him: in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who
first trusted in Christ.” (Ephesians
1: 3-12)
In this text we find a wonderful description of our holy calling in Church
and society today.
We also find in the words of the Apostle Paul consolation and strength in the current tragic conditions experienced by our country, the Church of the Middle East and our fellow-citizens of all Christian and Muslim denominations.
We also find in the words of the Apostle Paul consolation and strength in the current tragic conditions experienced by our country, the Church of the Middle East and our fellow-citizens of all Christian and Muslim denominations.
This is what Saint Paul wrote in
his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “Blessed
be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may
be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And
whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is
effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or
whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And
our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the
sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren,
have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed
out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we
had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and
doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; ye also helping
together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of
many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3-11)
Tragic circumstances
These holy verses give strength to
us pastors and to our sons and daughters, the priests, monks, nuns and faithful
laymen and women who can hear them, thanks to the media. We hope that those
words give them reason for fortitude and consolation, patience and perseverance,
resilience and moral courage in these circumstances prevailing in our country,
especially in dear wounded Syria.
Some eight million of its people have
become refugees in their own beloved country and abroad, particularly in
Lebanon, which carries the great burden of receiving hundreds of
thousands of displaced people. Syria, which received Palestinians sixty-five
years ago, Iraqis after the invasion of Iraq, and Lebanese after the 2006 war,
now has displaced children whose suffering of every kind is comparable.
We thank their generous host Lebanon,
its president, government, institutions and people and ask God to protect
Lebanon from the fire of the Syrian crisis, which affects virtually the whole
region.
Three lights
We pray God for peace in our
region as a whole. May God protect it and us too. As for our Synod
this year, its work will take place with three lights to illuminate its deliberations and
themes.
First there is the Apostolic
Exhortation, which was signed by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in the
Paulist Fathers’ Church of Saint Paul in Harissa. It was distributed through
YOUCAT (or Youth Catechism) to every one of our eparchies and parishes. It is
essential that we work in the light of the guidance from that document in all aspects
of our ecclesial, pastoral, youth, cultural and monastic life.
This Exhortation will really remain
a beacon and programme of action for our Churches in the Middle East, particularly
as its title defines the meaning of Christians’ presence in the Middle East: "Communion and Witness” - communion at home
in our Church and among the Churches, and witness in our community, in interaction
with it, bringing it the light and values of the Gospel.
Secondly, this year 2012-2013 was proclaimed the
Year of Faith: a good opportunity to work by all
means to strengthen evangelical faith in our parishes, and take initiatives through
our faith activities, praying with the Church, “Strengthen, O Christ our God, holy
Orthodox faith in thy churches and monasteries unto ages of ages.”
We are asked to provide a report
to Rome on initiatives that we've taken in the Year of Faith.
The third light comes to us from the Synod held in Rome in October
2012, which we, the Patriarch, attended, together
with my brother, His Grace Archbishop Joseph Absi, Patriarchal Vicar in
Damascus as your representative. Our 2013 Paschal Letter was devoted to clarifying
the subject of the Synod entitled “The New Evangelization.” It highlighted
the importance of the Gospel in our Muslim majority Arab society and in the
life of Eastern Christians, because the Gospel was born in our East, and Christ,
who is the living Gospel, was also born in our land.
These three lights will illumine
all the work of our Synod.
The topics that we shall
address in this Synod were established by the Synodal Committee in consultation
with us.
We now introduce the key points
in this synodal programme:
- We shall study how to implement in practice the above-mentioned Apostolic Exhortation, in our Church’s eparchies locally, regionally and abroad
- We shall examine legal issues prepared by the Canonical Committee, concerning the particular law of our Church based on the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, and other topics concerning the ecclesiastical tribunal and canon law.
- We shall evaluate the work of Saint Anna’s Major Seminary which trains all our eparchial priests.
- We shall discuss issues relating to the observance in our parishes of World Priest Day and the Year of Faith
- We shall also review the working of the Holy Synod during my patriarchal service, take a look at the topics examined and decisions taken, what has been implemented and what still remains to be done, and consider how to implement the work and decisions of the synod so that it can be really at the service of our parishes in order to strengthen their faith and confirm them in their calling, mission and role in the Church and society.
- We shall have plenty of time to hear reports on the current crisis from their graces the bishops of our eparchies in Syria. We asked each eparchy to establish a detailed report on the situation, describing, for example: the affected villages - churches demolished - IDPs - institutions affected ... and what steps can be taken in the face of this reality.
- This is what we said in the Lent Letter for this
year 2013. We described some conditions in our eparchies, and we made a
proposal for a special Solidarity Committee at the level of our Church:
“Solidarity Committee
So we found it necessary to
form a central Solidarity Committee in Syria under our patronage to bring about
the content of this appeal. We propose the formation of regional sub-committees
also in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, and also in the eparchies
of the expansion, and in our parishes in Western Europe.
We hope that our brother
Bishops will help us with this and propose names of business-people and people
of global influence and relations to be members of local committees.
We hope thereby to be
well-prepared and practically to cope with future challenges awaiting our
faithful and our Christian presence.
Solidarity: an act of Faith
Solidarity stems
from the belief that we are one Church, one body, one Christian family, one
single homeland. Faith is expressed in good works, especially through effective
charity towards those in need. Those in need are our Church’s children.”
- Nominations to the episcopal ministry: of course we shall work to draw up a list of priests suitable to serve as bishops. It is axiomatic that one of the most important duties in the Holy Synods is that of preparing good, humane bishops, right for their place and right for the time. The bishop is a man of God and a man of society, a good shepherd after God’s heart.
- We shall also study the five-yearly parish reports submitted to us. In this way we shall review the general situation of our parishes both in beloved Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Kuwait and in the expansion in Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, our Church is not confined to one country, but we are the Church with the most diverse presence and spread in Arab countries and worldwide. It is useful to explain this through statistics. That is why I have drawn up a list (in an appendix) to show the presence of our Church in the world.
Future challenges and the role
of the Church
We shall face more woes due to some
countries’ design on armaments here and there, especially in Syria, as the
world nowadays seems only to understand the language of arms, war and
destruction, violence and terrorism. Are not past wars, and those still
on-going, not enough to illustrate and convince states that weapons and
armaments do not solve problems or stop wars? On the contrary, they merely fuel
violence and hatred, and cause more death and destruction, displacement and
suffering, at all the levels of the economy, society, health, family, youth,
education and employment. When the
convening of the Second Geneva Conference was announced, a ray of hope broke through
for everyone, but then we were hit by the decision of the world’s biggest
country to supply arms while other countries joined in. We consider supplying
weapons to be a criminal act akin to murder, as it facilitates massacres, and
mass killings are crimes against humanity which deserve prosecution under international
law.
That is why, in the name of this
Synod and its members, who are scattered across many countries, we call on all
parties to halt weapons and armaments, and really to work to find a peaceful
solution to the Syrian crisis, based on dialogue and respect for the lives of
citizens, and on reconciliation, forgiveness and self-restraint and return to
God, that he may have mercy and compassion on our families, on children and
orphans, women, young people and students. This is the real
atmosphere, which will prepare for the Second Geneva Conference, and pave the
way for a peaceful solution to the suffocating Syrian crisis: for everyone
knows that there is no winner through weapons and armaments, but all are
losers. Only through reconciliation, dialogue and return to the values of our
faith is victory achieved, with peace and security, prosperity and progress for
all! This is the way of peace for Arab countries, especially Syria and Lebanon,
which we see burning and where day after day we see
citizens’ suffering at all levels increasing.
Worst of all is the division of
the Arab world, which is increasing day by day: a political, social, religious
and tribal split... We bitterly regret the latest chapter of this division, in
which the Egyptian President severed diplomatic ties with Syria. This is
exactly the opposite of what we have been we calling for in all our speeches
and talks, I mean the Arab world’s unity: unity among Arab ranks, in Arab
decisions and of the Arab position.
It is quite wicked to spread
hatred, hostility, animosity and revenge, murder and spite among citizens of
the same country and city, village and neighbourhood, family, school and place
of worship.
Beloved! Our Church, as I just said,
is widespread across our Arab countries and overseas. I see our most sacred
duty as being to work to disseminate the ideas and tendencies of pastoral,
religious and faith-based Gospel values to all countries everywhere. We have to stand together as a
Greek Catholic Episcopal Lobby or pressure group to promote the ideas that I
have set out at the Opening of this Holy Synod. This is a political act and a real
sacred duty that we must carry out with courage and zeal, love and dedication,
sincerity and competence. In this way we shall serve our homelands, communities, parishes, churches, communion and
coexistence, citizenship, freedom and democracy.
Today in Lebanon there is a real
risk of political life being immobilized, which has repercussions right across
Lebanon. Lebanon has entered the fire of the
Syrian crisis. Real non-intervention in the Syrian crisis means unity in
Lebanese internal affairs. Lebanon’s salvation lies in working only in its own
national interest and in the interest of the rights of every individual and
community.
The Church is the only one today
against weapons. It is free, so let it be quite free in its advocacy for
tolerance and unity. The Church has the right position! We are the only ones
not advocating weapons. The Church’s only interest is the national interest and
human interest, the interest of every human being. The Church today has the great role of working
for unity in Lebanon, Syria and the Arab world, because its role is based on Gospel
values.
Unfortunately there are some who
prefer power to love and act accordingly, but we advocate the power of love and
not the love of power.
Conclusion
That is the work that lies ahead of
us, beloved brethren in the episcopate and most reverend members of the Holy
Synod, and dear Superiors General, you are most welcome to this Holy Synod. I should like to
describe the work of our Synod through this kathisma (Tone 8) from Pentecost Matins,
"After thy Rising from the
tomb, O Christ, and thy divine Ascension to the height of heaven, thou didst
send down thy glory to thy disciples who had seen God, renewing a right spirit
within them, O merciful Saviour; therefore as a tuneful lyre they mystically
made clear as with a divine plectrum thy melodies and thy dispensation.” May our Synod be
a tuneful lyre!
We place our Synod under the
protection of Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Annunciation and Patron of the patriarchal
summer headquarters, who visited all areas of Lebanon in the month of May. On
Sunday 16 June in Harissa we, together with all Lebanese Church denominations, commemorated
and venerated her to ask her intercession for Lebanon, Syria, the Arab world
and the whole world!
I should like to end with a hymn in
the First Tone chosen for you from Friday evening Vespers in the Octoechos, a
book of wonderful spiritual wisdom. "Holy Bride
of God, make me holy, sanctified and sober, meek, still, well-ordered, upright
and devout, true, courageous, prudent, long-suffering, good, fair and measured,
blameless, unblemished and without censure, and beyond all these a partaker in
Paradise.”
May our Synod be blessed in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Pope to Middle Eastern Christians: Never lose hope
Pope to Middle Eastern Christians: Never lose hope
Address to Gathering of Middle East Aid Agencies, 20 June 2013
Address to Gathering of Middle East Aid Agencies, 20 June 2013
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Melkite Patriarch from Syria calls for unity among Christians
Gregorios III Laham with Syrian Delegation in
Germany
17.06.2013
Berlin, 17.06.2013 (KAP) Melkite Greek Catholic
Patriarch Gregorios III Laham is calling for more unity
among Syrian Churches. Right now that the situation is
aggravated, the local Syrian Churches should speak with a common voice, the
patriarch said in an interview to the German Catholic News Agency (KNA) in
Berlin at the start of the Syrian delegation’s trip to Germany.
The German policy of military restraint plays an
important role. Along with other Western countries, it could influence
the conflict in Syria, emphasised the Patriarch of the Greek Catholic Church in
communion with Rome: "We need a big gesture of solidarity, not only for
the Church but for the people." The conflict has brought much destruction, and the
Churches should help rebuild.
The
patriarch considered it important for the people of Germany to hear the voice
of the local Churches in Syria "and not just always the same media
coverage." He continued: "Our experiences don’t come from
television programmes. We have contact with our people, and we see what is
happening. Kidnappings, murders and people who have to flee and leave
everything: that is what we are experiencing." V.C.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Syrischer
Patriarch fordert Einheit unter Christen
Gregoire III.
Laham war mit Syrien-Delegation in Deutschland
17.06.2013
Berlin, 17.06.2013 (KAP) Der melkitische griechisch-katholische Patriarch
Gregoire III. Laham fordert mehr Einheit der syrischen Kirchen. Gerade jetzt,
da sich die Situation zuspitze, müsse die syrische Ortskirche eine gemeinsame
Stimme haben, sagte der Patriarch in Berlin im Interview der deutschen
Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA) am Rande einer Reise syrischer
Repräsentanten nach Deutschland.
Auch die deutsche Politik spiele mit ihrer militärischen Zurückhaltung eine
wichtige Rolle. Zusammen mit anderen westlichen Ländern könne sie Einfluss auf
den Konflikt in Syrien nehmen, betonte der Patriarch der mit Rom unierten
Kirche: "Wir brauchen ein großes Zeichen der Solidarität nicht nur für die
Kirche, sondern für die Menschen." Der Konflikt habe viel Zerstörung
gebracht; die Kirchen müssten helfen, wiederaufzubauen.
Der Patriarch wertete es als wichtig, dass die Menschen in Deutschland die
Stimme der Ortskirche in Syrien hörten "und nicht nur die immer gleiche
Medienberichterstattung". Und weiter: "Unsere Erfahrungen sind nicht
aus den Fernsehprogrammen. Wir haben Kontakt mit unseren Leuten; wir sehen, was
passiert. Entführungen, Ermordungen und Menschen, die flüchten müssen und alles
zurücklassen: Das erleben wir."
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Pontificium Consilium pro Familia - Peace with a Broken Heart
Peace with a Broken Heart - Plea from Syrian Archbishop
The Maronite Archbishop of Damascus writes a heart-rending letter to the Pontifical Council for the Family on the effects of the strife in Syria and hopes for peace
The Maronite Archbishop of Damascus writes a heart-rending letter to the Pontifical Council for the Family on the effects of the strife in Syria and hopes for peace
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Saturday, 15 June 2013
![Eventbrite](http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/org/3323381960?ref=eorgbtn" target="_blank"><img src="https://ebmedia.eventbrite.com/s3-s3/static/images/icons/eb-icon_medium.png){kind=link}
Light of the East - Youngstown-Warren-Ohio Chapter Newsletter May-June 2013
Light of the East from our US sister society's Youngstown Chapter is available for download here.
Friday, 14 June 2013
Pope Francis: a pastor according to the heart of Christ - from the International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church - Volume 13, Issue 2
Taylor & Francis Online :: Pope Francis: a pastor according to the heart of Christ - International journal for the Study of the Christian Church - Volume 13, Issue 2
The universal pastorate under Pope Francis - with consideration of Orthodox reflections
The universal pastorate under Pope Francis - with consideration of Orthodox reflections
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Syria Militants Massacre Christian Village Population (Graphic Images)
More details of a massacre in Homs late last month have emerged following the global outcry of a massacre in Deir el-Zour yesterday.
The massacre, carried out by Free Syrian Army militants reportedly targeted men, women and children in the Christian village of al-Duwayr/Douar close to the city of Homs and the border with Lebanon. The incident received little media attention, having occurred at the same time as thousands of Syrian troops converged on the insurgent-occupied town of al-Qusayr.
According to sources, around 350 heavily armed militants entered the village, broke into homes and assembled residents in the main square of the village where they were executed. The final death toll is not known but photos show severe damage to property in the village.
Syrian army sources said that they reached the village after the massacre, resulting in clashes with militants. Sources also reported that Turkish and Chechen extremists were among the perpetrators. Chechen militants are known to have kidnapped two Christian bishops in Aleppo earlier this year. The following images show al-Duwayr/Douar village after the massacre:
More here:
Syria Militants Massacre Christian Village Population (Graphic Images)
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
St Volodymyr's Statue in London at 25 Years
.jpg)
Peter Pidjarkowskyj Bykar, our secretary-designate, writes:This year, 2013, marks the twenty fifth anniversary since St. Volodymyr’s statue was erected outside of the Ukrainian Institute in London. This year is also an important year for Ukrainians, their descendants and those interested in Ukraine, as it marks the 1025th anniversary of Christianity being introduced to Ukraine by St. Volodymyr in 988 whose feast day is 15th July.
On Saturday 8th June 2013, at 2.00pm, an ecumenical prayer service called Moleben (молебен) marked these two occasions. The service was celebrated by clergy and its faithful from both Great Britain’s Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Churches; and AUGB’s (Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain) Fedir Kurlak offered some words too.
More than 100 people gathered around St Volodymyr’s statue and many passers-by stopped to see what was happening, listen to the choir, the prayers and the Ukrainian National Anthem – ‘Ukraine has not yet perished’ (Ще не вмерла Українa).
Слава Ісусу Христу! Слава Навіки!
 |
| Fr Ireneu Kraiczyi, Fr Josafat Leshchyshyn, Very Revd Bohdan Matvijchuk |
Monday, 10 June 2013
Friday, 7 June 2013
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Patriarch Gregorios to the Second Geneva Peace Conference on Syria
Prot. 284/2013R Rabweh 30/05/2013
Appeal of His Beatitude Gregorios III
On the Eve of the Second Geneva Conference on Syria
“Come to a common word.” (Surat aal ʿIm'ran 3: 64)
The Second Vatican Council says, “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of
this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the
joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Gaudium et Spes, Preface)
Saint Paul says, “Whether one member
suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the
members rejoice with it.” (I Corinthians 12: 26) Saint Paul also says, “God …hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5: 18) The Qur’an says: "Come to a common word." A Hadith also says,
“The believers are like one person; if his head aches, the whole body aches
with fever and sleeplessness.” (Sahih Muslim 6260)
Beginning from these venerable verses and
sublime teachings, we express our optimism for the holding of this Second Geneva
Conference. We call for participating in this conference, in the name of the
thousands of victims who have fallen on dear Syria’s soil, widows, orphans, handicapped,
sick, bereaved, kidnapped, disappeared, students, young people, those full of
doubt, wounded in conscience and feelings...and every suffering person in Syria.
In the name of all of them, and on the
basis of our pastoral responsibility, and as President of the Assembly of
Catholic Hierarchy in Syria, we address this appeal to the Russian Federation
and the United States of America who have called this conference, and all those
who will take part: sovereign states, organisations, sons and daughters of
Syria, at home and abroad, allies and opponents. All of you, work with trust, in
the spirit of reconciliation, dialogue and sincere citizenship... Put all your
efforts into making this conference succeed. This is a very important
opportunity, in a decisive central phase, and in the teeth of an historic,
bloody, destructive crisis, the most serious in the history of Syria.
May the call for reconciliation, dialogue, solidarity
and peace, be louder than the din of weaponry and armament.
We call very loudly, “Syrians, come to a
common word between all of you!”
We especially call upon our children, the sons
and daughters of our parishes, to raise prayers and supplications in churches, monasteries,
confraternities, parish associations, homes and families for the success of
this conference, and for security, calm, peace, reconciliation, dialogue, solidarity
and love among the hearts of all citizens.
We pray,
Lord! Grant us Peace! For thou hast given
us all things! “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the
children of God.” (Matthew 5: 9)
May the road to Geneva be Syria’s way to
peace!
+
Gregorios III
Patriarch of
Antioch and All the East
Of
Alexandria and of Jerusalem
With what shall we evangelise? Ukrainian Greek Catholics and their role in the Universal Church
With what shall we evangelise? Ukrainian Greek Catholics and their role in the Universal Church
A second article from RISU on the role and mission of Byzantine Catholics in diaspora and new language zones. Dr James Siemens is director of the Theotokos Institute in Cardiff (Wales, UK) and a priest of the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy in Great Britain.
A second article from RISU on the role and mission of Byzantine Catholics in diaspora and new language zones. Dr James Siemens is director of the Theotokos Institute in Cardiff (Wales, UK) and a priest of the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy in Great Britain.
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Monday, 3 June 2013
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